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I'm still really enjoying it! I think episode three was a little woobly for me (I don't enjoy school bully plots, even if they come to a good resolution), but the others have been great, and I love how the episodic nature is letting us get to know all of the characters better, not just focusing on Caleb and Ake (though Caleb and Ake are great!). And there's 1.5 queer couples!

I like how much of it is about building a better future. The characters come from different cultures, and come with a certain amount of damage because the stable government hasn't been there for them, and that's an organic part of the plot too. So, the kids are trying to grow up and figure out who they are, and they've also found themselves at a pivot point of history, when the Federation tries to decide what it wants to be. It's a lot of the same themes as DS9 dealt with in the later seasons (though in that case, fending off what the Federation ought not to be, which I guess Picard was trying to do too, but in a very cludgy way). I like the credits being about growth and building (though could take or leave the theme), and the show also being that.

And yes I have been watching Jessie Gender again, but one of the things I agree with her about is how it's not leaning very hard on nostalgia, or trying to recreate a Star Trek the show runners grew up with, which honestly a lot of post-Voyager shows have leaned on. (Though Discovery didn't especially land for me, and I never gave it enough of a chance, I think it at least was trying to do something different, so it makes sense that it created the setting for SFA.) Like the shows I loved most, and which re-invented what the show could be in the '90s, they're not on a ship called Enterprise, and they're not on an exploratory mission backed by the strength of the Federation (and don't forget that people loathed every single one of the '90s shows on grounds of: "They changed it, and I don't like it!") The main challenges in SFA are different because the main characters are students, but the way of poking at moral themes remains. The show is about them building a better world, personally and politically, with respect for and in conversation with the world building that came before, but not beholden to it as a prefect object, and I'm really loving that.

(The mix of earnestness and silliness reminds me of this hilarious short by

SoOkayHeresTheThing: What It's Like to Watch Star Trek. Summarised in One Minute.)

I especially really liked these specific spoilery things: ( Spoilers for episodes 1x02 and 1x04. )

Two beats that I absolutely hated, for balance: ( Spoilers for episodes 1x01 and 1x02 )

shadowkat

Started watching Bridgerton S4 - and was reminded of why I dislike the Cinderella Trope. Cinderella is way too nice. She should have looked into poisoning her evil stepmother. Deathly Nightshade. Hemlock. Arsenic. Mold. Maybe valium or opium? ( Read more... )

Took a shower to relax the muscles last night, and my tub mat got crooked and loose and when I tried to fix it - the mat slipped under my feet, and I tumbled out of the shower/tub and sprawled somewhat painfully onto the bathroom floor. ( Read more... )

I didn't get in nearly as much knee exercises or other activities, as I'd planned. I also fell asleep watching the James Bond flick Spectra - which isn't nearly as good as the prior films. The actress playing his love interest has almost no chemistry with him, and doesn't "spark". [I think I'm as tired of the James Bond trope as Daniel Craig appears to be - he was kind of walking through the film.]

Watched Angel S4 - Soulless - which is an interesting episode to watch while watching Buffy S7. ( Read more... )

An unfortunate side effect of the Buffy/Angel rewatch - is every time I watch these series - I get obsessed with the character of Spike and crave more of him. And more of the actor's performance. I don't know why. There was just something about his performance as Spike that sparked a response in me?

**

I've decided to subscribe to the Calm App - to deal with insomina, feelings of anger, anxiety, and depression - which are kind of wrapped up together in one nice neat bundle. Calm is actually helping. The problem I had with Headspace - was it was geared more towards millenials with small children or Yuppies. And kept triggering me. Also, it had embraced AI and was going the text psychology route with AI. While Calm was using sound technology to help with rebalancing the nervous system, and calming it.

Calm's also cheaper than Headspace.

***

End of January Memage

30. In 1873, Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne was published in France. Have you read the book or seen any of the films?

I think I read it once? Can't remember. I've seen multiple film and television versions. The best is the most recent version with David Tennet that was done a few years back. The worst was probably the one with David Niven. I don't really remember the David Niven one that well, but it does NOT date well - Shirly McLaine plays an Asian woman in it (yes, Shirly McLaine). The Pierce Bronsan version is okay - I vaguely remember that one.

31. Do you like hot chocolate with or without marshmallows?

I used to? But now? Not so much. It makes the hot chocolate too sweet. I guess if you can get a home-made marshmallow - which I've done. Those home made gourmet ones - are a treat. But it also doesn't work well. The marshallows don't quite melt the way they should and get kind of slimy and again too sweet.

I prefer whipped cream. And peppermint. Also I prefer unsweetened hot chocolate with almond milk, and zero sugar whipped cream. It's insanely difficult to get unsweetened hot chocolate though - because people put sugar in everything.

***

Weather - very cold. But not as bad as yesterday, believe it or not. We didn't have the wind chills. So the apartment was actually 70-73 degrees as opposed to 65-69 degrees. And outside, it made it up to 22 F/ -18 C.
Low was 10 degrees F.

ysabetwordsmith posting in

birdfeeding

This is the January community post for

birdfeeding. Which birds did you see this month? What were your wildlife activities during January? What are your plans for February?

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

sallymn posting in

1word1day

demesne [dih-meyn, -meen]

noun:
1 possession of land as one's own
2 an estate or part of an estate occupied and controlled by, and worked for the exclusive use of, the owner
3 land belonging to and adjoining a manor house; estate
4 the dominion or territory of a sovereign or state; domain
5 a district; region

Examples:

A couple of centuries or so later, the peninsula became part of a Spanish land grant, and the demesne of Manuel Dominguez as his Rancho San Pedro. (Patt Morrison, Palos Verdes Peninsula landslides can tell us a lot about L A history, Los Angeles Times, May 2024)

In Loki, the titular character finds himself in the bizarre (almost Brazil style) demesne of the Time Keepers, an organization devoted to ensuring the sanctity of the timeline. (Erik Kain, Owen Wilson And Tom Hiddleston Light Up First 'Loki' Disney Plus Trailer, Forbes, April 2021)

The castle or manor-house of the baron or lord, into which the thegn’s hall had now developed, was the centre of rural life. Around it lay the home-farm, the lord’s demesne land, cultivated partly by free tenants, partly by the customary labour due from the villeins whose cottages clustered on its border, and whose holdings, with a tract of common pasture and common woodland, made up the remainder of the estate. (Kate Norgate, England Under the Angevin Kings)

However, as he pursued his wayfaring with the two Armenian Christians who formed his retinue, he began to hear from the inhabitants of that portion of Abchaz the rumor of an equally dread demesne, named Antchar, lying before him on the road to Georgia. (Clark Ashton Smith, 'The Kingdom of the Worm')

After winding along it for more than a mile, they reached their own house. A small green court was the whole of its demesne in front; and a neat wicket gate admitted them into it. (Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility)

(click to enlarge)
Origin:
c. 1300, demeine, demeyne (modern spelling by late 15c), 'power; dominion; control, possession,' senses now obsolete, from Anglo-French demesne, demeine, Old French demaine 'land held for a lord's own use,' from Latin dominicus 'belonging to a master,' from dominus 'lord, master,' from domus 'house' (from PIE root dem- 'house, household'). Re-spelled by Anglo-French legal scribes under influence of Old French mesnie 'household' (and the concept of a demesne as 'land attached to a mansion') and their fondness for inserting -s- before -n-. Meaning 'a manor house and near or adjacent land,' kept and occupied by the lord and his family, is from late 14c, hence 'any landed estate' (late 14c) (Online Etymology Dictionary)

Why isn't 'demesne' pronounced the way it's spelled? Our word actually began as demayn or demeyn in the 14th century, when it was borrowed from Anglo-French property law. At that time, the Anglo-French form was demeine. Later, the Anglo-French spelling changed to demesne, perhaps by association with another term from Anglo-French property law: mesne, meaning 'intermediate.' (Mesne has entered English as a legal term as well.) According to rules of French pronunciation, the 's' was silent and the vowel was long. English speakers eventually followed suit, adopting the 'demesne' spelling. Our word domain (which overlaps with the meaning of 'demesne' in some applications) also comes from Anglo-French demeine. (Merriam-Webster)

hannah

Because I needed a new winter coat after the zippers on my old one broke, a not-insignificant amount of money was spent today on a new coat. It's got me thinking about two things: where this old coat came from, and the last time I got entirely new clothes. I can't remember where I got it, just at some point in the last ten years or so, which means I probably salvaged it from somewhere - likely my building's laundry room. Given the state of the elastic tags to tighten or loosen the hood as well as everything else about it, it must've been tossed aside after a few years of use. I've commented on the quality of cast-offs of New York City in general and the Upper West Side in particular, and this really speaks to that, because aside from the elastics and the zipper, everything works to keep me warm.

As for the last time I got entirely new clothes, excluding undergarments and shoes, I definitely can't remember. Most of the clothes I've bought the last few years came secondhand, eBay and Mercari and Poshmark, so while they're new to me and might be functionally new based on how often they'd been worn before I got them, they're not new to the world. I think the last new purchase was a dress for one of my brothers' weddings, so it would've been 2022 or 2023. Not that long ago, but certainly a while.

The amount spent on the new coat's certainly more than it'd cost to replace the zippers, but I'm buying more than zippers in getting a new, high-quality coat. I'm thinking of buying new zippers just the same, replacing them and then donating it somewhere to give someone else a few more years' use of it.

Current Mood: thoughtful
Current Music: The New Year - Death Cab for Cutie

rosa_heartlily

This time last year, I took Husband for a blood test, prepped for the following week at work, trying out Bee Simulator, and getting ready to finish Veilguard.

Today started with crumpets and real coffee as is tradition. The rest of the morning was spent cleaning and having a bath. Oh, and popping round to the shop for sellotape because goodness only knows what's happened to the rolls we already had in! But I did have a chat with the lad that works there about different tastes in gaming. He's all about online FPS games but it does mean he's connected with his cousins on both sides of the pond.

Not long after dinner my parents arrived, swiftly followed by Sil with Younger Grandson and Granddaughter <3 YG opened his presents and blew out his three candles. GD hovered around grabbing hold of anything he dropped :D He definitely liked Zurg, Jessie and Bullseye. I was very glad I'd snipped off most of the bits of wire and elastic before wrapping them. And the little ones sat very quietly whilst eating their cake! There really is a first time for everything.

I think they were only here for 90 minutes or so when Sil reappeared to take them home. But it was lovely to see them, and they were both in a very good mood with us and each other.

When they'd gone we watched Traitors: Ireland and then had tea. Then I cleaned the kitchen and came upstairs whilst the boys watched the match. Liverpool managed a win!

And I managed to finish Ghost of Yotei. What. A. Game! So beautiful and such a moving story. I cannot say enough good things about it. When the credits had rolled (which included a mention of Playstation, Liverpool!), I checked the trophies and there are two I'll never get in a million years, so I'm not going to worry about the Plat. There are some that are doable and would give me a reason to stay in Ezo, and no other games are really pulling at me.

I finished the night by prepping my paper journal for the coming week and watching the first episode of Seven Dials.

Current Mood: loved
Current Location: bedroom

mxcatmoon

Trying to catch up on posting my 3SF fills here, since I'm behind.

Torchwood / Doctor Who, The Sentinel, and The Thorn Birds fills under the cut.

( Here be fic... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith posting in

birdfeeding

Today is cloudy and cold, spitting a few snowflakes.

I fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows plus a male and a female cardinal separately.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 1/31/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I added more birdseed to the hopper feeder.

I've seen two starlings.

EDIT 1/31/26 -- I saw a female downy woodpecker at the suet cage.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

dreamersdare

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

ao3_news_feed

https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/34216

International Volunteer Day

Last November we asked the community to submit questions to our OTW volunteers in celebration of International Volunteer Day. In this series of posts we will spotlight some of our committees' responses.

The Communications committee (Comms) disseminates information to the general public, media, and fans. We draft and beta news posts and social media posts, and are often the first point of contact for anyone interested in the OTW.

We asked Comms for replies to your questions, and received a lot of feedback! Below you can find a selection of their answers:

Communications Committee Specific Questions

Question: We're so thankful for how fast you guys always respond when the ao3 website goes down. I was wondering what's the circus like behind the scenes when it happens? xD Do you usually first notice when we start panicking, or does someone keep an eye on it 24/7, do emails start flying from social team to it, is it usually scary or is it very organised and calm since you're so experienced, who makes the decision to pull the plug for a few hours if it's really bad and looks hopeless, stuff like this. Thank you!
Committee answer:
Accessibility, Design, & Technology (AD&T) and Systems (our two main technical committees) have already given their own replies to this, but from Comms’ end, we often are the ones that handle posting and disseminating information for downtimes! We work hand in hand with AD&T and Systems to ensure that we're distributing the most accurate and concise information to the public, and coordinate with our fellow volunteers to make sure that it’s sent out in time. We do our best to handle the public logistics so that our coders can focus on their own work!

General Questions

How many hours a week do you spend on your OTW volunteer work?

It truly depends on the week! Typically I would say ~4 hours, for just keeping on top of things and my weekly tasks. It can be upwards of 10 if there's things outside of the norm or that require a bit of research. (Caitlynne)
For me, it depends on the time of year most of all! As an Event Coordinator, half of the year I'd say it's ~2-6 hours a week. The bulk of our anniversaries and holidays converge into fall and winter, during that time it's more ~6-8 hours. (Elin)

How do you manage your volunteer time, and do you do the same thing every day like with a day job?

I hop on my computer pretty frequently throughout the week, so I tailor my OTW time to when I'm on my PC. If there's a day I'm busy and away from my PC, I know I'll have to "catch up" the next day when I have time, so to speak. (Tiana)
I try to check our chat tool/the Comms email when I can throughout the day and give a dedicated half hour or so on my laptop in the evenings. It doesn't always work out, but that's the goal! (callmeri)

What's your favorite part about volunteering at the OTW?

I like that tending the little OTW!Tumblr corner of the landscape helps the whole fandom ecosystem. (Remi)
The best part of volunteering at the OTW is the people, for sure! The social aspect is easily what motivates me the most to stay. I have made lots of friends and the Communications committee has been a really supportive environment! (stork)

What's the aspect of volunteer work with the OTW that you most wish more people knew about?

We are fans just like you! There are so many different cultures and fandoms coming together every day to make the organisation run. (Tal)
We are really big on emojis! The custom emoji feature on our chat tool is definitely getting a lot of mileage with us XD. Also, you can put OTW work on your resume if you want to. (stork)

What does a typical day as an OTW volunteer looks like for you?

Check the Tumblr notes and ask box in the morning, before scrolling through my personal dash and then the tags the organisation follows looking for Things To Queue. Mosey through the #ao3 tag on occasion to reply or leave little notes to folks. Every day is similar, but none are The Same. (Remi)
I often start by checking and responding to messages from other volunteers, and then make a list of current tasks to work on. Sometimes that means brainstorming activities for a special milestone, other times it's writing posts, or preparing for an event. (Elin)

What is your favorite animal? Alternatively, do you have a favorite breed of cat/dog?

I love bats and think they're super cute, but identify with possums on an emotional level. (Caitlynne)
My favorite animal is a saiga antelope. Fave dog breed: Irish wolfhound. (Communications volunteer)

Do you enjoy reading fanfic? If so, what's your favorite work on AO3?

For a dyslexic person I seem to read A LOT of fanfic... I actually tend to read more on AO3 than actual books?? Anyway, my favourite of all time would have to be unholyverse. I don't think anything can beat that… (Gray)
I love reading fic so much it's kind of concerning how many tabs I have open all the time. My favourite fic is locked but another fave is between the sheets by DasWarSchonKaputt. og. goat. mother. (choux)

Do you write any fanfic yourself? What do you enjoy about it?

I do write. I enjoy the creativity and the ability to explore characters. (Communications volunteer)
I do! It's my favorite hobby and one I neglected a bit last year. I hope to get back into the swing of it in 2026. (Tiana)

What fandoms are you (currently) in?

I’m very active in the Dan and Phil fandom :3 (Gray)
Mostly MDZS and IWTV for the past few years, but Heated Rivalry took over my brain so it looks like I'm getting on that ride. (callmeri)

Do you feel glad or proud to see fanfiction in your mother tongue?

I'm also a tag wrangler, so I get to participate in tag translation (every tag wrangled needs to have a documented english translation). There aren't as many German works, but we have loads of German volunteers – this means there's often several of us running to translate whenever there's a German tag. it's really cool to see very specific cultural references in works! (Tal)
I read a TON of socmed AUs in Filipino along with the Filipino fics in general! I'm super happy to see fanwork in Filipino and when a creator is Filipino as well! especially when I see actual locations or cultural tidbits getting referenced. (choux)

Thanks so much to every volunteer who took the time to answer!

(For more answers, check out this work on AO3, where we collect additional replies to each question!)

The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, OTW Legal Advocacy, and Transformative Works and Cultures. We are a fan-run, donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.

https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/34216

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Network

Some Fairly Surface Level Star Trek: Starfleet Academy thoughts

(no subject)

January Monthly Post

Sunday Word: Demesne

Best suit or dress.

Short but oh, so sweet

4 Three sentence ficathon fills (Torchwood, Doctor Who, Sentinel (tv), Thorn birds)

Birdfeeding

Stuff I Love: Top Ten Edition (February Challenge)

IVD 2025 Volunteer Q&A—Communications Spotlight